Beer: Reviews & Ratings

First beer I had when I entered. For a cold day, this was heaven in a glass. Smelled of sweet maple syrup and pancakes, followed by a hit of bourbon.

Mouthfeel was thick and slightly carbonated.

Taste - Did the smell justice. So much different from the base Fred. Maple and Bourbon are all over the place. Toffee, Figs, and sweet malt. So very complex. Was probably my favorite or close to my favorite at the event. Really loved this beer and very close to a perfect score. After having many of the beers at this event, its hard to find anything that even remotely measures up to some of what Alan has created. Big, complex, perfectly balanced, and boozy beers that linger far after you are done drinking them. (759 characters)

Flat murky brown, there is no head to speak of, but hey, this is bal aged and glorious. The nose is a fabulous blend of maple, oak and vanilla sweetness. This really smells nothing like Fred, which, and smells an awful lot like bourbony maple syrup. Palate is a little oxidized, beautifully working with the maple aromatics and flavors. The bourbon lends a little bit of smokiness. A real nice balance is present. Sweet on finish, this full bodied beer is really nice. I would totally drink this again. (570 characters)

S: The nose if full of maple, the most maple I've smelled in any beer I've had. Sugary sweetness and bourbon, faint alcohol, caramel, vanilla, faint oak, toffee, dried fruit.

T: Taste follows the nose with big sweetness of maple, brown sugar, caramel and bourbon. The candy sugar that makes Fred so special is still the backbone of this beer...hops are invisible aside from a light noticeable bitterness, and there is a light burn from the alcohol but really manageable for 12%. There are notes of dried fruit, papaya and pineapple as well.

MF: Creamy smooth mouthfeel, bigger body on this one, and the lower carbonation makes the finish sticky and viscous.

O: This is the definition of a sipper. This was the only beer I got at the brewery, and I enjoyed every sip. 12oz is a little tough to finish, but this is a solid FtW offering. (1,043 characters)

N. Sugar. Belgian candi sugar and maple, specifically. Some hop bitterness/pineapple and mango. The bourbon's less developed in the nose than in the body.

T: No mistaking the barrels on this one. Maple syrup, vanilla, caramel. Some very noticeable tropical fruits. Lots of pineapple. This is pretty sweet, but not as much as I remember. The back has the hop bitterness to even this out. There's definitely an alcohol kick.

M: Bubbly and sticky sap. This fits really well with the beer and the maple. Like bourbon Fred 2012 this one nails it.

O: Excellent. When I hear people rave about CBS, I assume this is what they really think they had. (796 characters)

On tap at the barrel room. Was told that only a single barrel was made of this excellent beer, which is a shame.

The beer pours a fairly dark brown color with good head retention and light lacing. The beer looks almost viscuous sitting in my glass, and has the look of a beer that has seen some serious barrel aging. The nose is just amazing, as I pick up chocolate, toffee, maple syrup (by the boatload), vanilla and apple brandy and bourbon. The beer has a slightly oxidized component that adds another element and is attractive. The flavor profile replicates the nose in this delicious beer, and I just love the mouthfeel in this one. The beer has the consistency of motor oil, which I assume is the product of the beer's richness and the relatively low carbonation. Mouthfeel otherwise is soft, creamy and very, very long. This is a very rich beer, and frankly I think the sweetness is just a bit much (hence the half point deduction on the beer's taste). The beer is just outstanding otherwise, and is yet another impressive effort from Alan Sprints.

Hard to imagine drinking a lot of this (was told that the beer has at least the same abv. as the regular bourbon fred, but might be a couple of percentage points higher), but I had no trouble downing the 12 ounce tulip I ordered at the tasting room. Tried this side by side with the regular bourbon fred, and at least for me, there was no comparison.